After returning from the greater Seattle area while visiting with my son and his new lady, who is half Hawai'ian, I got a bit of a taste for things Hawai'ian. We only ate one Hawai'ian meal, but I also got to hear a whole lot of really beautiful Hawai'ian music as well. When I returned home, I quickly looked up some of the great songs I had heard and got those into my Amazon Music lickety-split. Next, I made an approximation of an "Island Style Pho," which I called "Coconut Chicken Soup." I think I made a very good likeness of that soup.
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| Pineapple Macadamia Rice |
Since part of that soup was Huli Huli Chicken, I first had to make that, and I love how the recipe came out also. Since in that first occasion I was cutting up the chicken into the soup, my husband and I both really wanted to try the chicken on its own. The flavors are just sublime. This past Monday (after marinating the chicken over the weekend), I grilled the second batch of Huli Huli Chicken. All I can say is it must be tried to believe how amazing it is.
Next I needed to have some kind of side dish to accompany the chicken, so while I have actually made a rice dish with some of the same ingredients just a couple of months back, and which I called "Tropical Rice," I wanted to take it a little farther this time. It is quite similar in most respects, with the same additions of brown rice, scallions, bell pepper, lime juice, grilled pineapple and macadamia nuts, I think, if my memory serves, that this version was a little bit better.
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| Pineapple Macadamia Rice |
Pineapple Macadamia Rice
Serves 6 to 8
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil
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⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
½ lime, juice only
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
½ bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 - 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
1 cup grilled pineapple, in small cubes
2 - 2½ ounces macadamia nuts
Earlier in the day, or the day prior, cook together the first 4 ingredients according to package directions. Once cooked, fluff the rice and allow it to cool completely. Set aside or refrigerate until needed.
In a large, dry skillet, toast the shredded coconut until it is golden. Pour onto a plate to cool and set aside. Grill the pineapple in a large chunk or two, until it is tender and has some nice grill marks. Cut it into small cubes.
In the same skillet as previously, over medium heat, add the 2 teaspoons coconut oil, then saute the onion until very tender and beginning to brown at the edges. Add in the lime juice (at least a tablespoon: if your limes are dry, squeeze more, to make at least a tablespoon of juice) and stir, cooking until all the juice has evaporated. Add in the garlic, ginger and bell pepper and stir-fry until very fragrant. Add in all the rice and stir-fry until some of the grains begin to brown slightly. Add in the remaining ingredients, leaving aside a tablespoon each of the scallions and macadamia nuts for garnish. Stir well, then serve immediately, garnished with the remaining scallions and macadamias.
And now, to the Middle East . . .
Also, recently I have taken more of an interest in eggplants. Anyone who knows me, or who has read my blog, may know that as a child, eggplant was almost the worst thing I could imagine having to eat. It has taken me all this time to even begin to warm up to the whole idea. I have eaten a few things with eggplant and liked then, such as my sister's Eggplant Parmesan. With enough sauce and cheese, most things can be disguised enough to be edible. And so I come to Baba Ghanoush. I have read of Baba Ghanoush (or Baba Ganoush, Baba Ganouzh, etc) for a long time, but having eggplant play the major role in that dish has so far deterred me from trying it.
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| Baba Ghanoush |
Still, this summer, as I saw eggplants start to make an appearance at the Farmers' Market, I have felt the need to buy one, here and there. And so I bought an eggplant last week, and it sat there staring at me on the counter, while I tried to think what to do with it. Baba Ghanoush popped into my mind. I tried to quell the thought, but I finally gave in and looked up what constituted Baba Ghanoush. I was somewhat surprised to find that it is basically the same ingredients that make hummus, which I love. Just substitute grilled, peeled eggplant for the chickpeas and hey, Presto! A beautiful dip.
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| Baba Ghanoush |
Okay, I baked the eggplant, because it's starting to get chilly up here. It was difficult enough trying to grill the Huli Huli Chicken on Monday, because aside from being chilly out, it was also so windy as to make it a challenge to keep the grill lit. I ended up backing the car out of the garage and having the grill just inside the garage, out of direct wind. So, baked eggplant it was. And then I put in the ingredients I felt should make this dip taste good, and I was actually shocked to find that I really LOVE Baba Ghanoush! Wow!
I made one smallish eggplant to try this recipe, and the recipe came out to be approximately ¾ cup of dip. To make more, just double or triple the recipe as needed. I left my Baba Ghanoush totally unadorned for my photos. Many things are suggested, for serving, from simply drizzling with more olive oil, to serving with olives, pine nuts, parsley, etc. Some photos I saw online had so many things over top that there was absolutely no view of the main event. I think it was pretty enough on its own, so I unashamedly photographed it gloriously nude.
I chose to add an ingredient that I never saw in any of the recipes: Sumac. Sumac is a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern spice that is used as a souring agent, similarly to lemon/lime juice or tamarind in other areas of the world. Click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph to read more about sumac. This ingredient is in no way needed to make Baba Ghanoush, but I felt it would add something.
Baba Ghanoush
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| Baba Ghanoush |
Makes about ¾ cup
1 medium/small eggplant (11 to 12 ounces)
2 cloves garlic, minced
(2 tablespoons vinegar, optional)
¼ cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoons ground Sumac, optional
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ to 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, to taste
Heat the oven to 400 degrees, or more authentically, light a grill. Bake (or grill - not sure of timing for the grill) the eggplant for about 45 to 55 minutes, until completely soft. Set aside to cool. Peel the skin and place the eggplant into a food processor.
The garlic can certainly be roasted garlic, if preferred. If using raw garlic, and if raw garlic is hard on the stomach, as for me, place the minced garlic in a small bowl and cover with the optional vinegar. Allow to set for 10 minutes, then drain off the vinegar and add the garlic to the food processor, along with all the remaining ingredients. Process until well blended. Serve accompanied with olives, pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil. Set out crackers, pita crackers, or crudités.
My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.
My son and his wife were visiting over the course of 2 weekends and whenever they are around, we tend to try new recipes and revisit old ones. We all love food and we all love wine and between us we really have an excellent time at table. They brought some wines with them that were discovered earlier this year on a trip out to the Seattle area. The winery, tiny and kept that way on purpose is called Harbinger, and the 3 wines they brought were all wonderful. My favorite of all was a Tempranillo blend caller "Bolero", and not far behind was a Sangiovese called "Rapture". Another really good one was a Cabernet Franc.
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| Wild Rice and Corn Salad |
On the last evening they were here, I had marinated a flank steak with Kalbi type flavorings. The first time I ever heard of Kalbi was on a cruise ship. On the first afternoon onboard there is generally a sort of cafeteria style lineup of foods, and I tried some thin strips of meat that were just out of this world. I raved so much that the chef gave me the recipe. Unfortunately, trying to pare down a recipe for thousands into a recipe for home use obviously didn't translate well, and when I tried it at home it fell so far short that I never tried it again. That was a long time ago.
Many, many years have passed since then, and I have become far more confident of concocting my own recipes. When recently I was reading a little blurb on a restaurant somewhere that served Kalbi, made using some sort of short ribs, I was first just struck by the name. I know the thin strips of meat I ate onboard the cruise ship were not short ribs by anyone's definition, but the flavors certainly came up in the "Asian" category. I revisited the recipe.
I added some things and took out others and generally just made it my own way, using a flank steak. Flank Steak can be a really tough cup of meat if overcooked. It can also be difficult to eat unless it is sliced across the grain. There is little to no fat on a flank steak, so long cooking will only dry the meat further. I have made many many flank steaks through the years, and I truly love them. They play well with marinades and are quick to broil or grill. A match made in heaven for a Kalbi flavored marinade.
Kalbi Flank Steak
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| Kalbi Flank Steak |
Serves 4 to 6
1½ to 2 pounds flank steak
MARINADE:
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup Mirin (or use Sake)
½ onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dark (toasted) sesame oil
1 - 2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper
1 walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated or minced
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large flat container or a gallon sized zip-top bag. Place the flank steak into the marinade, coating it on both sides. Press out all the air if using a bag. Marinate the steak for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight, turning occasionally so the meat is flavored on both sides equally.
Preheat a broiler or a grill. Grill or broil the meat over high heat for about 6 minutes per side. It should stay pink in the center, or it tends to toughen. Once grilled to desired doneness, set the meat on a platter and cover with foil for a few minutes before slicing. Slice the meat across the grain either very thinly, or in less than 1-inch thick slices to serve.
Racking my brain for something new to make as a side dish for this meal, I finally settled on something with a wild rice base. This came about because as it happened, I had about 3 cups of cooked wild rice in the fridge. It had set on the burner for too long and had all burst open. none of those pretty black strands for this dish! There was nothing wrong with the flavors though, and adding in a lot of other flavors would only be absorbed the better for its burst open state. As I sat thinking about what I had and what I would like to add, I came up with this recipe, and as it happens it was truly inspired. We were practically inhaling it! It made a perfect side for the Kalbi Flank Steak.
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| Wild Rice and Corn Salad |
I used 3 cups of cooked wild rice and 1 cup of white rice, as these were the amounts I had already existing in the fridge. The quantities can be changed, reversed, or used half and half, but about 4 cups of rice will be needed in total. You will need to cook about ¾ cup wild rice in about 2½ to 3 cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt for nearly an hour, covered. For 1 cup of white rice, cook ½ cup white rice with ½ teaspoon salt and 1 cup water, covered, for 15 minutes.
Wild Rice and Corn Salad
Serves 6 to 8
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| Wild Rice and Corn Salad |
3 cups cooked wild rice (¾ cup dry wild rice)
1 cup cooked white rice (½ cup dry white rice)
2 tablespoons pine nuts or cashews
½ green bell pepper, chopped (about ¾ cup)
½ red bell pepper, chopped (about ¾ cup)
3 - 4 scallions, chopped
2 ears fresh corn, shucked
2 to 3 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
chopped cilantro to taste
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon crushed Sichuan / Szechuan peppercorns, optional
1 teaspoon Asian Dark Sesame Oil
½ teaspoon salt, or more, if needed
Have the rice cooked and cooled well ahead of time, or the day before.
Heat a grill or broiler and grill the corn until there is some char on about ⅓ to ½ of the kernels, turning often to grill evenly.
Place both the cooled rices in a large bowl and fluff the rice to separate the grains. Add in the pine nuts, green and red pepper, scallions and Feta. Cut the kernels from both of the cobs of corn and add them in. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the rice mixture and toss well. Add in cilantro and mix well. I used at least 1/2 cup of cilantro. If this is not to your taste, alter the amount as needed. Taste the mixture and add in the salt if needed.
My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.
